“Every once and awhile a product takes my breath away. Typically it is something that has been designed with obvious passion and constructed with care for both the material used and environmental impact. Most recently, that product was Ideal & Co. – Living Heritage’s Candeeiros Backpack.

The Candeerios backpack defines elegance with it’s soft amber leather, sleek rustic construction, and handsome hardware. This backpack will age gracefully through commuting, adventuring, and moving through life, telling a story through the unique wear of the hand-crafted leather. Available in two sizes in two different colors.

Ideal & Co. grew from founders Rute Vieira and José Lima’s love of bicycles, traditional leather manufacturing, and their family ties to the Parque Natural da Serra de Aires e Candeeiros, a National Park in the heart of Portugal. Using vegetable tannins from local tree barks in the tanning of their products, Ideal & Co. are continuing a long tradition of using ancestral manufacturing and hide treatment practices that are unique to their region of Portugal. One of this company’s main goals is to help revitalize the artisans and workshops within the National Park by reintegrating traditional techniques in the production of each product. According to Ideal & Co., “When an artisan focuses solely on one piece he is able to test it and refine it in such a way that when the final product is ready it will be like no other.”

Along with celebrating local heritage through their products, Ideal & Co. are dedicated to using sustainable practices and minimizing environmental footprints during the production of their elegant leather products. This is achieved by their use of vegetable tanning and hand-crafting each piece. The result are products designed to last a lifetime and longer.

With an already impressive line of bags and accessories, Ideal & Co. plans to broaden their product line with the addition of items made from a variety of materials like textiles, wood, metal, and even stone. As with their leather products they will be sticking to the use of local Portuguese materials.

“Some things stay with your forever” is embossed on every one of Ideal & Co.’s products, a slogan that speaks to their dedication to exquisite artisan designed leather products.“

Phoebe Redlin
M mag - smart living by bike
http://momentummag.com/gear/carry-stuff/ideal-and-co-living-heritage/